Engine starter control



Dec. 8, 1953 w. E. BROWN ENGINE STARTER CONTROL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMarch 20, 1951 I l/vmvrm BZZ/w M Dec. 8. 1953 w. E. BROWN 2,662,139

ENGINE STARTER CONTROL Filed March 20, 195]. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V sw/rax/l' ]N VENTOH Patented Dec. 8, 1953 ENGINE STARTER CONTROL William E.Brown, Anderson, IncL, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit,Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application March 20, 1951, Serial No.216,588

7 Claims.

This invention relates to engine starter control apparatus, moreparticularly for use with an automobile having an automatic transmissionwhich is controlled by a selecting lever supported by the steering mast.This lever, for ex-- ample, has five positions in the following order: R(reverse), L (low speed), D (drive), N (neutral) and P (park). It hasbeen the practice to permit engine starting to be initiated by aseparate manually operated switch only when the selecting lever is in Nor P position.

An object of the invention is to cause engine starting to take place bymoving the selecting lever to a sixth position S, denoting enginestarting position. In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, theobject is accomplished by causing a switch to be closed in response tomovement of the selecting lever to position S. This switch and theignition switch, if closed, complete a circuit between the storagebattery and the coil of a solenoid. which operates to connect thebattery with the engine cranking motor. A spring, which adds substantialresistance to movement of the selecting lever from P to S position toeffects-tarting, returns the selecting lever to P position when thedriver releases the selecting lever after starting.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention isclearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a combined back-up light and starter switchincluded in the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view in the direction of arrow 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end view in the direction of arrow 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the switch.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional views on lines 5-5, 6-4: and I'I of Fig.4.

Fig. 8 is a geometrical diagram.

Fig. 9 is a wiring diagram.

The selector lever operated switch which is diagrammatically representedin Fig. 9 includes fixed contacts I, 2, 3 and 4. Contact I is connectedwith a backup lamp 8 and contact 2 and lamp 8 are connected with ground.Contact 3 is connected with ignition switch contact 9. Contact 4isconnected with solenoid coil I!) also con nected with contact 9.Ignition switch movable contact II connects con-tact 9 with battery 12.

lumine the path of the backing car.

Solenoid armature I3 is connected with a contact I4 which, when the coilit is energized, bridges contacts I5 and I6 and thus connects thebattery I2 with a starting motor Il. Contacts I and 3 are bridged by amovable contact 5 when, in a manner to be described, a transmissionselecting lever is moved to R position. ihe ignition switch II beingclosed, lamp 8 burns to i1- When the selecting lever is in S position,contact 5 bridges contacts 2 and 4 and ignition switch I I is closed,coil I {l is energized and the starting motor I'I operates to crank theengine. Contact 3 may be connected with the battery I2 through alighting switch I8 instead of through the ignition switch I I whenclosed. Therefore lamp 8 will burn when the automobile lights are turnedon and contact 5 bridges contacts I and 3.

Contact 5 is connected with a shaft 6 turned by a lever I. As shown inFig. 8, lever i has six positions R, L, D, N, P and S corresponding tosix positions R, L, D, N, P and S of a transmission selecting lever 2!]connected with a shaft 2|. In Fig. 8', lever 29 and lever I areindicated in the D position by full lines and the other positions by dotand dash lines. Lever 2!! is connected by its shaft ZI with a lever 22which a link 23 connects with lever 1.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 5, contacts i, 2, 3 and 4 are provided by theheads of rivets 3|, 32, 33 and 34 respectively, which extend throughswitch back members35 and 36 and are staked against terminals 4|, 42, 43and 44 respectively. Terminal 42 is a strap by which contact 2 isconnected to ground. The contact 5 of the diagram, Fig. 9, is a metalring 45 (Figs. 4 and 5), having elongated contact bosses 46 and tangs4'! received by notches 48 in a non-conducting disc 48 in which theshaft 6 is embedded. The back member 35 provides a cover for a case 50which together with a plate5l are attached to a mounting bracket 52which can be attached to a grounded metal support not shown. For purposeof adjusting the bracket 52 angularly relative to the axis of the shaft2| (Fig. 8) of selecting lever 20, the bracket 52 has arcuate flanges 53whose curvature center is the center of circle ZI. These flanges 53 areeach slotted at 53c (Fig. 2) to receive a screw 53b (Fig. 4), whichclamps the bracket 52 to a support 530 in the required position so that.lever I will be properly related to lever 20. Case .50, plate BI andbracket 52 are attached together by a bushing 54 which, after.assembling these tween disc 49 and ring 45 urges contact bosses 46toward contacts I, 2, 3 and 4.

A torsion spring 51 which surrounds bushing 54 has a hook 58 received bya hole 59 in disc 49 and a hook 60 adapted to be received by a flange 6|of plate Spring 51 resists rotation of shaft 6 (Fig. 6) counterclockwiseand rotation of selecting lever 20 from position P toward position R.Spring 51 takes up lost motion in one direction between levers 20 and 1and thereby prevents rattling.

When lever 1 i in P position, spring 51 urges an arm 65 of lever 1against a stop provided by the hook 66 of a spring 61, said hook 56being normally located at 66' in Fig. 3 and biased against a stop lug 6Bof bracket 52. Spring 61, which surrounds a spring locator 69 pressedover the case 50, has a hook 111 received in a hole of the left flange53 of bracket 52. When selecting lever 20 is moved from P positiontoward S position, lever 1 (Fig. 3), moves from P position toward Sposition against the action of spring 51 whose hook 66 is moved by leverarm 65 clockwise away from position 66 in which it engaged lug 68. Thespring 61 offers such resistance that the driver is required to holdlever 20 in the position S for engine starting. After the engin isstarted, the driver releases lever 20 and the spring 61 returns it to Pposition corresponding to which, the hook 66 of spring 61 engages thelug 68. Therefore if the engine stalls with the engine switch closed,engine start ng is effected simply by moving the selecting lever 20 to Sposition and holding it there until the engine is started after whichthe lever 2|], when released, returns to P position automatically.

Because spring 61 adds substantal resistance to movement of selectinglever 20 from P position toward S position, the driver is not likely tomove the lever 20 to S position inadvertently while the engine isrunning.

The contact bosses 46 of ring 45 (Fig. 5) have angular width such thatmake contact with contacts I and 3 or with contacts 2 and 4 forsubstantial ranges of angular movement of lever 1 as indicated by anglesA in Fig. 8. The exact R and S positions of lever 1 are within the rangeof contact bridging by the ring 45. This feature permits some latitudefor the location of the bracket 52 upon its support thus allowing forVariations in manufacture and facilitating assembly because exactness ofangular location of the bracket 52 relative to the axis 2! of lever 20is not required.

Contact rivets 3| and 33 are longer than contact rivets 32 and 34. Eachof the rivets 3| and 33 secure to the back member 35 a block whichspaces the terminal connected with the rivet outwardly from the plane ofthe other terminals 42 and 44 to locate the terminal wire attachingscrews 16 in more accessible positions. Each block 15 which is somewhatlike a keystone in shape, is received by alike shaped hole in backmember 36. Each block 15 has a hole 11 (Fig. 4) which receive a tang 18of the terminal which engages the block.

Reference is made to application S. N. 198,358 of Paul L. Schneider eta1., filed November 30, 1950, which is owned by the same assignee asthis application and which relates to the same 7 general subject matteras this application, the latter being in the nature of an improvement onthe device disclosed in said earlier application.

While theembodiment of the present invention a herein disclosed,constitutes a preferred 4 form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In engine starter control apparatus, the combination comprising atransmission selecting lever movable to different position fortransmission control and to a position beyond its normal range ofmovement for engine starting, a control switch having a movable contactconnected with said lever and stationary contacts which are bridged whenthe lever is moved into position for engine starting, a spring whichsubstantially resist movement of said lever only when it is moved fromthe range of transmission control positions to the position for enginestarting thus requiring the driver to hold the lever in engine startingposition, said spring returning the lever to the range of transmissioncontrol positions when released, and an electric circuit including acurrent source, the aforesaid control switch, an ignition switch inseries with the control switch and the coil of a relay energized uponclosing of said control and ignition switches and which, when energizedeffects connection between the current source and an engine crankingelectric motor.

2. The combination defined by claim 1 further characterized by theprovision of a second switch including two additional fixed contacts andsaid movable contact, which is moved into engagement therewith when thetransmission selecting lever is in position for transmission reverse,and an electric circuit including the current source, said second switchand an electric lamp in series with said second switch.

3. In an engine starter control apparatus for an automotive vehiclehaving an automatic transmission controlled by a manually operated levermovable to different positions within a control range to control theoperation of said transmission and to a position outside of said controlrange to efiect starting of the engine; a starter control switch havingtwo fixed contacts, a rotary bridging contact movable to a position toengage the fixed contacts, a shaft for operating the bridging contact, alever for operating the shaft, said lever being operatively connectedwith the transmission control lever so that when the lastnamed lever ismoved to its engine starting position the bridging contact is moved toengage the fixed contacts, and a spring which resists movement of theswitch operating lever into switch closing position, said spring beingeffective to open the switch when the control lever is released.

4. In an engine starter control apparatus for an automotive vehiclehaving an automatic transmission controlled by a manually operated levermovable to different positions within a control range to control theoperation of said transmission and to a position outside of said controlrange to eifect starting of the engine; a starter lighter, anti-rattlespring resisting movement of the switch operating lever in the reversedirection.

5. In an engine starter control apparatus for an automotive vehiclehaving an automatic transmission controlled by a manually operated levermovable to different positions within a control range to control theoperation of said transmission and to a position outside of said controlrange to efiect starting of the engine; a starter control switch havingtwo fixed contacts, a rotary bridging contact movable to a position toengage the fixed contacts, a shaft for operating the bridging contact, alever for operating the shaft, said lever being operatively connectedwith the transmission control lever so that when the last-named lever ismoved to its engine starting position the bridging contact is moved toengage the fixed contacts, a relatively strong spring opposing themovement of the switch operating lever into its switch closing position,a lighter, anti-rattle spring resisting movement of the switch operatinglever in the reverse direction, said stronger spring having an endportion toward which the lighter spring biases the switch operatinglever, and a fixed stop against which said end is biased by the strongerspring.

6. In an engine starter control system for an automotive vehicle havingan electric starting motor operable when energized to start the engineand an automatic transmission controlled by a manually operable controllever movable to different positions within a control range to controlthe operation of said transmission and to positions outside said controlrange to effect operation of a control switch; a control switch operatedby said control lever for controlling the operation of said startingmotor and having two sets of fixed contacts and a movable contactengageable with either set of fixed contacts, a shaft for operating saidmovable contact and effective when moved in one direction to engage themovable contact with one pair of fixed contacts in order to cause thestarting motor to become operative and effect starting of the engine, alever for operating the shaft, said lever being operatively connectedwith the transmission control lever for operation thereby, a relativelystrong torsion spring surrounding said operating shaft, said springhaving one end fixed and the other end shaped to lie in the path ofmovement of the switch operating lever when moved in a direction toeffect engine starting, a fixed member normally engaged by the movableend of said torsion spring and from which it is disengaged upon movementof the switch operating lever to effect engine starting, and a lighter,anti-rattle spring for resisting movement of the switch operating leverin the reverse direction to effect engagement of the movable contactwith the second pair of fixed contacts.

7. In an engine starter control system for an automotive vehicle havingan electric starting motor operable when energized to start the engineand an automatic transmission controlled by a manually operable controllever movable to different positions within a control range to controlthe operation of said transmission and to positions outside said controlrange to effect operation of a control switch; a control switch operatedby said control lever for controlling the operation of said startingmotor and having two sets of fixed contacts and a movable contactengageable with either set of fixed contacts, a shaft for operating saidmovable contact and effective when moved in one direction to engage themovable contact with one pair of fixed contacts in order to cause thestarting motor to become operative and effect starting of the engine, alever for operating the shaft, said lever being operatively connectedwith the transmission control lever for operation thereby, a switch casesurrounding the movable switch contact, a case cover supporting thefixed contacts, a switch mounting bracket attached to the case,- a shaftbearing member supported by said bracket and in which the switchoperating shaft is rotatably mounted, a relatively strong torsion springsurrounding said case, said spring having one end fixed to the bracketand the other end in position to be engaged by and oppose the movementof the switch operating lever when moved to a position to effectstarting of the engine, a lighter torsion spring within the case andsurrounding the shaft, one end of said spring being fixed and the otherend. operatively connected with the shaftso as to oppose movement of theswitch op erating lever to engage the second pair of fixed contacts, anda lug carried by the bracket and is in' its inoperative position.

WILLIAM E. BROWN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,853,513 Douglas Apr. 12, 1932 1,979,836 Kryzer Nov. 6, 19342,094,177 Linemnuth Sept. 28, 1937

